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11/22/2024 08:47:22 am

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Football Transfer Rumors: Corinthians Accepts Bid From Tianjin Songjiang For Alexandre Pato

Alexandre Pato of Brazil's Sao Paulo celebrates after scoring a goal against Uruguay's Danubio.

(Photo : Reuters) Alexandre Pato of Brazil's Sao Paulo celebrates after scoring a goal against Uruguay's Danubio.

Latest reports claim that Brazilian football club Corinthians have accepted a bid from Chinese football club Tianjin Songjiang for Alexandre Rodrigues da Silva, more commonly known as Alexandre Pato. The 26-year-old striker has one year left on his contract with Corinthians and the club has been quite busy auctioning him to clubs outside of Brazil before his contracts hits the expiration date.

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Following a disappointing 2013 season, Pato spent two years on loan with Corinthians rival club Sao Paulo FC. Pato is currently registered as a Corinthians player for the season while the club looks for possible transfer scenarios.

Corinthians have struggled to raise interest in the striker even with help of super-agent Kia Joorabchian. Some analysts believe that Pato's glory days have stalled after his exciting stint with Italian club AC Milan.

Chinese football clubs have shown significant interests in Brazilian football players in the last couple of years. In fact, some Chinese clubs have already added notable Brazilian footballers into their respective rosters like Paulinho, Diego Tardelli, Elkeson, Ricardo Goulart and Dario Conca.

Recently, Chinese club Tianjin Songjiang reached a deal with Corinthians for attacking midfielder Jadson.  Selecao midfielder Elia is also working over a deal with another Chinese club Hebei Zhongji.

Brazilian managers like Mario Manezes Cuca and Luiz Felipe have all plied their trade in the Chinese Super League.

Reports claim that agents from Tianjin Songjiang have arrived in Sao Paulo in order to negotiate with Pato. Analysts expect the deal to be done within the first couple weeks of January.

If Pato accepts the deal with the Chinese club, he could receive as much as four times his current salary. Tianjin Songjiang is currently managed by Vanderlei Luxembourgo and have Pato's ex-teammate Luis Fabiano as part of their ranks.

In the past, Pato and his agents insisted that the striker will only transfer to a club in Europe - preferably to a club that competes in the Champions League. Despite efforts to gain attention in Europe, it appears that Pato's appeal has gradually waned in the region.

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